UF professor fired after comments about women

An investigation said he behaved inappropriately toward students.

Published: Monday, September 20, 2010 at 6:09 p.m.

Last Modified: Monday, September 20, 2010 at 6:09 p.m.

The University of Florida has fired a professor for saying during a lesson about sexual harassment that Latin American women dress more provocatively than U.S. women.

Timothy Taylor, a professor of food and resource economics, was sent a letter of termination Friday. An accompanying investigation found that he behaved inappropriately toward female students and made a mockery of the sexual harassment lesson, with one witness claiming he made an inappropriate comment about how Latin American women dress.

Food and resource economic Chairman Ray Huffaker wrote in the termination letter that Taylor previously had been suspended twice for inappropriate interactions with female students, most recently in 2008, and warned that any remotely similar incidents would result in him being fired.

"The University's investigation finds that your comments had the purpose or effect of embarrassing female students and, even after the opportunities you had to change your improper behavior, you persist in making inappropriate comments of a sexual nature," Huffaker wrote.

Taylor said Monday that he's filing a grievance to challenge his termination. He said he was making a point that cultural differences mean Latin American women are more provocative in their business dress than women in the U.S. He referred to the recent controversy involving a Mexican television reporter covering the New York Jets as supporting his point.

Preventing professors from speaking freely about such issues, he said, stifles academic freedom.

"If we can't go into a classroom and challenge people's beliefs and challenge them to be critical thinkers and maybe feel uncomfortable sometimes, how are we going to get them to think outside the box?" Taylor said.

He said the class, contemporary issues in agribusiness management, is a capstone class meant to prepare students for the real world. He previously headed the UF Faculty Senate's committee on academic freedom but said he was forced to resign because it might hear his case.

According to the UF investigation, another food and resource economics professor reported in April that several students came to her with allegations that Taylor had made inappropriate comments.

In addition to the comment about Latin American women, witnesses said he made female students in the class feel uncomfortable by looking them up and down and once asked a female student to dance to her ringtone after her cellular phone rang in class.

In 2008, he was suspended for making inappropriate comments to and touching female students. Taylor said the incident involved a party at his house in which he tousled a student's hair.

No information was immediately available about the other previous incident, which Taylor said happened 15 years ago. He had been employed at UF since 1980.

Taylor denies the recent allegations, saying the investigation was flawed and the statements blown out of proportion by people who want to get rid of him.

"They have no case ... I will win, and I will be reinstated," he said.

<p>The University of Florida has fired a professor for saying during a lesson about sexual harassment that Latin American women dress more provocatively than U.S. women.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p><hr /></p><p><center></p><p><a href="http://www.facebook.com/GainesvilleSun" target="_blank"></p><p><img src="/assets/images/widgets/GSun/Teezers/GSFacebookTeaserSmall.jpg" /></p><p></center></p><p></a></p><p><hr /></p><p>Timothy Taylor, a professor of food and resource economics, was sent a letter of termination Friday. An accompanying investigation found that he behaved inappropriately toward female students and made a mockery of the sexual harassment lesson, with one witness claiming he made an inappropriate comment about how Latin American women dress.</p><p>Food and resource economic Chairman Ray Huffaker wrote in the termination letter that Taylor previously had been suspended twice for inappropriate interactions with female students, most recently in 2008, and warned that any remotely similar incidents would result in him being fired.</p><p>"The University's investigation finds that your comments had the purpose or effect of embarrassing female students and, even after the opportunities you had to change your improper behavior, you persist in making inappropriate comments of a sexual nature," Huffaker wrote.</p><p>Taylor said Monday that he's filing a grievance to challenge his termination. He said he was making a point that cultural differences mean Latin American women are more provocative in their business dress than women in the U.S. He referred to the recent controversy involving a Mexican television reporter covering the New York Jets as supporting his point.</p><p>Preventing professors from speaking freely about such issues, he said, stifles academic freedom.</p><p>"If we can't go into a classroom and challenge people's beliefs and challenge them to be critical thinkers and maybe feel uncomfortable sometimes, how are we going to get them to think outside the box?" Taylor said.</p><p>He said the class, contemporary issues in agribusiness management, is a capstone class meant to prepare students for the real world. He previously headed the UF Faculty Senate's committee on academic freedom but said he was forced to resign because it might hear his case.</p><p>According to the UF investigation, another food and resource economics professor reported in April that several students came to her with allegations that Taylor had made inappropriate comments.</p><p>In addition to the comment about Latin American women, witnesses said he made female students in the class feel uncomfortable by looking them up and down and once asked a female student to dance to her ringtone after her cellular phone rang in class.</p><p>In 2008, he was suspended for making inappropriate comments to and touching female students. Taylor said the incident involved a party at his house in which he tousled a student's hair.</p><p>No information was immediately available about the other previous incident, which Taylor said happened 15 years ago. He had been employed at UF since 1980.</p><p>Taylor denies the recent allegations, saying the investigation was flawed and the statements blown out of proportion by people who want to get rid of him.</p><p>"They have no case ... I will win, and I will be reinstated," he said.</p><p><i>Contact Nathan Crabbe at 338-3176 or nathan.crabbe@gvillesun.com.</i></p>